Background
by Clockwork's Apprentice
Summary: Mia wanted nothing more than to fade into the background, after all it wasn't like people paid her attention anyway. Yet when she stumbled into the host club, she thought it would change…but it maybe not- after all, she is supposed to be in middle school.
1. Prologue

**Author Note: IDEA FROM Faithful5! SO IS MIA! Also, I will update every other day.  
**

**~CWA**

**Title: **Background

**Summary: **Mia wanted nothing more than to fade into the background, after all it wasn't like people paid her attention anyway. Yet when she stumbled into the host club, she thought it would change…but it mist not- after all, she is supposed to be in middle school.**  
Genre: **Friendship/Romance**  
Rated: **T**  
Disclaimer: **_I do not claim nor own Ouran High School Host Club. The idea belongs to Faithful5 as does the OC (sort of- I get confused)._

**Prologue:**

**Mia:**

I could barely see from my blonde bangs being in my golden eyes, but I didn't really mind. To me, it was just another thing to hide behind. Pulling the sleeves of my dark blue sweater down even more, I continued walking from where they dropped me off.

I finally stopped in front of a large tall dark building. Taking a deep breath, I calmly walked through the doors only to be greeted by a woman. She was taller than me (which was saying something since I was about six feet despite my age) and she had long gray hair and gray eyes. She smiled warmly,  
"You must be Mia Carter, correct?"

I nodded shyly, not bothering to reply. The woman continued to smile,  
"Ah, a shy one then," I blushed and she chuckled, "Nothing wrong with that dear. Welcome to Shinto Orphanage."

I found my feet more interesting and I only looked up when the woman put a hand on my shoulder,  
"Call me Tsuki. I'm the owner and I am sure you will like it here. Let me know when you need anything."  
She started to leave but I walked up to her and refused to make eye contact,  
"What…what about school?"

She ruffled my hair and I felt my face heat up at the contact.  
"I heard you're the smart one," she winked, "you'll be starting high school at Ouran Academy."  
"But-but-," I stuttered, "I'm supposed to start high school _next_ year…"  
She smiled,  
"Ah, but you tested really well- quite the accomplishment actually. You should be really proud. Oh! Your room is upstairs, first door to the left! And I can't get you a uniform since you're there on a scholarship and…we don't have the money for it," she gave me a sheepish smile before she disappeared into another room.  
_Scholarship? _I gulped, _that means most likely it's a prosperous school- all the rich kids. Great- another reason I won't fit in. _I followed her directions though and headed up the stairs to the second floor. This orphanage was a lot nicer than the one I had went to in America.

I had moved to Japan because of a transfer system that the orphanages had going on. _I guess it was more like 'hey, these kids aren't getting adopted here, maybe they'll get adopted there!' _Either way, I wasn't complaining. I had to be the one to go- I was the only one that knew Japanese after all.

I continued on into my room and looked around. It was very big, spacious, and pretty nice. There were a few beds there- about three. Two people were already there- two little kids. One was a girl who had long black hair and bright green eyes. Her pale skin had a lot of freckles. She looked to be about maybe two years old. The other was a girl, who had black hair in pigtails and blue eyes. She seemed maybe five or four. I looked at them and smiled- I liked kids more than I did other people.

I knelt down and smiled as the two overcame their shyness and tackled me in a hug.

"I'm Mia," I said smiling, "what's your names?"  
The girls blushed,  
"Chi."  
"Ami."  
I smiled. _Maybe some good will come out of this- I might make some friends…_


	2. Loud

Chapter 1- Loud:

**Third Person:  
**Mia hesitantly made her way through the doors to try and find the office. _This place is so big…how do they get around here so easily? _She saw a lot of people staring at her and whispering- which made me more embarrassed than she already was. _Please…let me just fade into the background…_ Though she knew no matter how much I wished people would ignore her- it never happened. She was always too tall for someone her age, too _matured. _Too _something._ She never fit in not matter where she went.

"Is that the new student," Haruhi asked.  
"Indeed," Kyoya said pushing up his glasses as they all watched her enter through the large doors, "Mia Carter, here on a scholarship. Age fourteen, rather young for a first year I suppose. Though she incredibly smart for someone her age."  
"Wow," the twins whistled, "is she smarter than our Haruhi?"  
"Perhaps," Kyoya answered honestly, "though no one might notice as she is said to be rather shy- preferring the background rather than the spotlight."  
The twins raised an eyebrow. Haruhi's sweat dropped, _thanks for the ego boost Kyoya-senpai._ She looked back out the window at the new student. _She is a bit taller than me,_ Haruhi mused. The new student has long blonde hair that was a bit curly and Haruhi could see her big round golden eyes from her spot at the window. The new student didn't wear the uniform, instead she had on regular jeans and a dark blue turtle-neck with long sleeves. _She doesn't look fourteen,_ Haruhi thought as her face got a hint of jealousy at the _matured_ fourteen-year-old.

**Mia:**

I could feel everyone's eyes on me and I hated it. I felt my face get hot as I went into the office. The secretary smiled at me,  
"Good morning," she said cheerfully.  
"…I'm the new student," I said softly.  
"I can see that dear," she winked, "here's your schedule."  
I took the schedule and got a confused look. The secretary chuckled slightly,

"You're classes are a bit mixed up since you're also in advanced classes…have fun dear…and be careful."  
I blushed and quickly left. I looked at her schedule, _class 1-D, class 1-A…I think that's alright. Though it will get a bit confusing with so many people. _I started to look around for my first class.

When I got to my first class, _1-D. _I was a bit embarrassed. Everyone there was guys, making me the only girl and _the youngest._ I bowed to the sensei and he nodded.

"Please introduce yourself."

My face got hot and I was glad my bangs hid most of it. I looked at him horrified. He sighed,  
"This is Mia Carter, transferred from America."

I bowed slightly to the class and then headed to the only empty seat- which was in the back next to a redheaded guy that looked to be about one or two years older than I was. He had a sort of mean face, but not really. I mean, looking around every guy there seemed to look very tough- making me stand out _even more….great._

I blew the bangs out of my face in annoyance and the guy next to me seemed a bit flustered. He then glared at me. I blushed, but I continued my gaze at him- I wasn't glaring, but I wasn't going to back down either.

"I'm Kasanoda, Ritsu," he finally whispered- _now I have a name._

"Carter Mia," I softly replied, blushing.

He smiled slightly with a blush of his own.

After that class, I headed towards _1-A. _

"I'll see you later Kasanoda-senpai," I whispered as I left. He nodded.

Now it took my ten minutes to find my class, so I was a bit late, but at least I found it. I bowed to the sensei. He nodded,

"You're late."

I blushed and he sighed,  
"But you are new- don't let it happen again."

I nodded and quickly took an empty seat- ignoring the whispers.

"How come she comes in late and doesn't get detention," these twins were whispering but a short-haired brunette smacked them upside the head,

"Give her a break," she harshly whispered, "she is new here."

I blushed underneath my hair. _I really wish I could just fade away. _

"She looks so shy," one of the twins said as he turned around and poked my side. I laid my head on the desk and buried myself under my hair.

"She needs to open up more," the other said.

"Stop bothering her," the brunette snapped. I peaked from my make-shift hiding spot and saw the twins shrug and bug the person in front of them. The brunette turned to me. _He looks a bit…girly. _He smiled,  
"I'm Fujioka Haruhi."  
"Carter Mia," I greeted softly, while blushing. Haruhi chuckled,  
"Sorry about them," he nodded to the twins. The twins looked to each other, at me, and at Haruhi, and then smirked.  
"Why, if you want to hang out with Haruhi," they said with a devilish smile, "come to Music Room Number Three after school."  
"Wait," Haruhi protested but I couldn't hear her over the sound of the bell ringing.  
_Did we really talk the whole time? Well, they talked. I tried to ignore them._

After school, I ran into Ritsu again- literally. I had a red face,

"I'm sorry," I kept muttering. He smiled and ruffled my hair,

"It's okay…honestly, you have to be the only person here not scared of me."  
"You're not scary," I pointed out shyly, "a bit tough and rough though."

He smiled slightly and then blushed. I blushed as well and then continued on to Music Room Three- only to be greeted by bright lights and flower petals. _Really bright…handsome men…handsome men? _I blinked rapidly and saw that I wasn't imagining the handsome guys. One was Haruhi, two were the twins, one was a small blonde that was a _lot_ shorter than everyone else, one was a tall black haired guy, one was a taller blonde, and one had black hair and looked…_creepy._

"Welcome!"  
"Ah," the blonde one said as he kissed my hand, "I see we have a new customer."

I blushed and jerked my hand away.

"Where…am I," I asked quietly.

"You are at the Ouran High School Host Club," the black haired one that gave me a bit of a creepy feeling said.  
"Who would you like to host you," the blonde one asked as he bowed.

"Wah?"  
"Which type would like to host you," the blonde pondered, "I'm Tamaki, the 'Princely Type,' Haruhi the 'Natural type', the twins 'the devilish types,' Mori the 'Silent type', Kyoya the 'cool type,' and Hunny, the boy-lolita."

"Mori," I answered quietly.

He raised an eyebrow and I blushed furiously.

"Why did you choose Mori-kun," Hunny asked cutely.

"…he's the quietest," I answered softly.

Hunny giggled.

"You're kind of like him- so quiet! But you're so shy! Ohh. Mia-chan you are just so cute!"

He hugged me tightly and I blushed at the contact and Mori smiled faintly- ruffling my hair.

When I got back to the orphanage, Tsuki-sensei greeted me.  
"How was your first day," she asked cheerfully.

I hung my head low in thought- my hair falling front of my face,

"_Loud."_


	3. Hosting

**Author Note: So sorry! I meant to update sooner! I really did! But again- I am in the middle of moving and we just got finished with moving everything (it took us three or so days). I still need to unpack everything- because nothing is unpacked (besides beds but since my bed still has a lot of boxes on it I am sleeping on the couch- it's comfy).  
~CWA**

**Chapter 2- Hosting**

**Mia:**

I yawned as I got up in the morning. Chi and Ami were staring at me cutely. I smiled,  
"Good morning."

They smiled cheerfully at me. Their cheerfulness was contagious so I continued to smile even as I had made my way to the shower and got dressed for school. Black jeans, a green turtleneck, a handmade lunch from Tsuki, and a smile later- I was out the door.

I was a bit taken back that I was still smiling as I entered the school.

**Ritsu:**

I crossed my arms in a huff as I sat in the back of the classroom- I wondered where Mia was. It had been a week since that shy girl had came to Ouran. She finally entered the room and took her seat next to mine. I found myself smiling at her smile- her good mood was infectious. Yet, she was like a little sister to me. A little sister that I…I cared for like one. It took away my loneliness of being an only child.

She paid more attention to class than I did. I was more concerned about the other mafia sons in the room that kept giving Mia looks- looks that she didn't notice, or ignored. If she did catch the looks- she would blush and quickly look away. I was glaring at them though- _no one looks that way at my little sister._

The sound of pencils on paper made me look over to Mia- who I saw was sketching in a sketchbook. _I didn't know she liked to draw…_

"You are rather good," I whispered to her, she blushed.

"Thank you," she said meekly.

I playfully riffled her hair, making her squeal slightly. She was adorably shy at times. After class, she had finished her sketch and gave it to me. I was a bit surprised that it was a sketch of me. It was rather well done actually. There were simple lines making the lines of my jaw, lips and eyes. But it really came together due to the shading by rubbing the lead on the paper and smearing it. It was actually rather well. On the side of the paper it said (in Japanese) _To the brother I wished I had._

I looked at her curiously and she blushed,  
"I…is that okay?"

I ruffled her hair,  
"Of course it is….sister."  
**Mia:**

After school, I told Ritsu that I would be with the host club if he needed me (as I knew he was with the gardening club after school). Yet, he felt the need to walk me there. I looked at the ground as I heard everyone whispering.

"_Is she with Kasanoda-san?"  
"No, I heard he called her his sister."_

_"Kasanoda-san has a sister?"  
"Why is he walking her to the host club?"  
"Maybe he's going to threaten them."  
"She is so cute."  
_I saw Ritsu glare at the guy who said that and I blushed even more- but I kept smiling. I was in a happy mood. I wasn't, however, pleased that Ritsu felt the need to threaten the host club to not do anything to me. The second the door opened, the host club looked very confused.

"Why's he here?"

Ritsu glared at them all- and I was glad that the other clients weren't there yet so no one else had to witness my embarrassment.

"She's like a sister to me," he growled at them- glaring, "if any of you do anything to her…"  
The threat lingered, even as he left. I was blushing madly.

"Sorry," I whispered, "he's protective of me."  
"Is he really your older brother, Mia-chan," Hunny asked cutely. I shook my head,

"No…but he is like an older brother."

Hunny squealed,  
"That is so cute, Mia-chan!"  
I blushed and Mori ruffled my hair- _why do people keep doing that,_ I whined in my head. I pouted.

"I wonder why she's so shy," the twins whispered, "we should help her get out of her shell."  
I didn't see them as they came up behind me- I didn't see their devilish smirks either as they touched my sides in an attempt to tickle me. I jumped in shock and squealed as they did so. I tried to get away from them, but it only resulted in me becoming unbalanced and falling. With my unfortunate luck, I had fallen and when I reached for the table to balance me as I fell, I grabbed the tablecloth instead of the table. As a result, the tea set setting on top of it, fell with me, crashed, and left little tiny pieces on the floor.

"That cost us 50,000 yen," Kyoya said as he pushed up his glasses with a smirk.

_Okay, but how much is that in my terms? _Either way I knew two things. One- there was no way I could repay them. Two- I was going to regret accidentally breaking that tea set.

****  
The next day, I hid my face in my hands as I laid my head down on the table.

"But you look so cute Mia-chan," Hunny said cutely.

I didn't think I did and the comment only led to my face burning hot. Since I was now officially a hostess (of sorts), I was required to wear the cosplay (that Ritsu and I were both a bit angry about). So, while the guys and Haruhi (who I _knew_ was defiantly a girl) had on black butler outfits, I had to wear the maid's outfit- stockings, aprons, and the short dress. The dress was what I hated- it was _way_ to short for my comfort. I was fifteen- I do _not_ need to wear dresses that were that short…it just made me more self-conscious than I already was.

"_Aw, she is so cute," _the girls whispered as they entered the club.

_"Is she the new hostess?"  
"I thought Kasanoda-san would hate her being here."  
"I wonder what type she is? Is she for the guys or does she help out the guys or something?"  
"Maybe she's just the host dog."  
_Tamaki came up,  
"Ah! My lovely princesses! My lovely daughter, Mia," he motioned towards me, "is indeed officially part of the host club! To help where it is needed!"  
"What's her type," the girls asked excitedly, "is she for the guys?"  
"She can be," Tamaki winked, "but of course! She is the bashful type!"  
I had my head down as I looked up through my bangs shyly. The girls squealed.

The girls swarmed me on the couch.

"What's your favorite color?"  
"Do you have a favorite host?"  
"What do you like to do?"  
I blushed,  
"I….I like blue…I like sketching and singing….and I don't have a favorite," I answered honestly.  
"How can you not like any of them," one girl asked horrified.

"They're like older brothers," I answered bashfully.

The girls squealed.

After the club, I was happy to finally get out of the short maid's dress. I was a bit taken back as a guy entered. He looked about my age- maybe a year younger. He looked a lot like Hunny actually. _I wonder who he is…he's cute._ I blushed and Mori raised an eyebrow amused. I blushed harder. Hunny and the mysterious guy glared at each other and then started to fight. I looked to Mori for an answer.  
"It is tradition for them to fight other family members when they meet," he explained softly.

"…Their related?"  
I blushed and Mori smiled slightly,  
"Indeed…. Yasuchika Haninozuka is Mitsukuni's younger brother."  
"That's a mouthful," I whispered, referring to Yasuchika's name. I was surprised by a soft, low-toned vibration…it was Mori's chuckle.

"Yasuchika-kun usually prefers to be called Chika."  
I blushed- _I didn't mean to say that out loud. _I was a bit shocked when Hunny won the small ten-minute fight- which had me awed either way. They were both clearly talented.

**Yasuchika:**

I scowled when my older brother defeated me- again. Sometimes I wondered if I would ever be as good as a fighter as him, but in the future- I _will_ be an even _better_ fighter than my older brother (who for someone so small, casts a large shadow). It was only after the fight that I realized that there was a hand offered in front of me. It belonged to a girl- who was actually my age. _Why is she at the high school? _She had really long blonde hair that hid her cute face and her golden eyes. She was blushing. A bit taken back, I accepted the hand with a small blush.

My older brother giggled,  
"Chika-kun this is Mia-chan!"  
"…Why is she in high school," I asked.

Mia blushed.

"I…I got a year ahead from test scores," she said meekly.

I smiled faintly before I regained my senses and left my older brother- and that girl- behind.


	4. Crushing

**Chapter 3- Crushing:**

**Third Person: **

Chika was still a bit confused. It has been a week since he met that shy blonde named Mia- yet because of her, he seemed to be going to the host club more and more. _Do I like her? _He couldn't like her. He wasn't one for crushes, or dare he say it _love._ Still, he couldn't help but feel intrigued by the blonde- who he learned was in debt to the host club. He was a bit angry at the club for making Mia pay off the debt by hosting. He was angrier at his brother for not even trying to help her.

It was well after the club had ended, and Chika was there as always. Hunny suspected it had something to do with Mia.

"He's really quiet," Mia whispered. Hunny giggled and Mia jumped- not realizing that Hunny was right there.  
"He is," Hunny agreed, "but you would be surprised! Chika-kun loves animals, almost as much as Takashi actually. He just won't admit it," Hunny winked cutely, "you won't tell him I told you, will you?"  
Mia shook her head,

"Of course not," she whispered.

She was starting to feel like the club was like family- that was odd since she never really had family in the first place. Though she did have the two little girls at the orphanage. Still, she didn't mind the visits from Chika. The two were often talking- or rather sitting in comfortable silence. Mia found comfort in Chika's presence. He wasn't creepy like Kyoya, dramatic like Tamaki, motherly like Haruhi, too sweet like Hunny, devilish like the twins, or too quiet like Mori. Chika was…Chika. He was quiet, but still spoke every once in a while. He wasn't loud- he was…_pleasant._

Meanwhile, Chika was watching Mia sketch. He wasn't sure what it was- yet- but he thought it looked nice. Mia blushed at how close Chika was. Hunny and Mori watched the scene with knowing smiles. Though, if Chika hurt her- the others would be stern with him (not too stern since he was, after all, Hunny's younger brother), but they did think of Mia as a little sister. Therefore, they would hate to see her get hurt. Kyoya, of course, even thought of her like a sister- even if he didn't show it as openly as the others.  
Mia, however, did think of the hosts as brothers- yet she stayed quiet. After all, she didn't know if they felt the same. Besides, she didn't want to freak them out. She valued their friendship- especially Haruhi's. They were both, after all, Tamaki's 'daughters.'

"You're really good," Chika finally said- figuring out the drawing was that of him. He felt oddly flattered.

It was a charcoal drawing- extremely detailed. Mia took great care to make sure the glasses were titled just right, that the shading was just right on his eyes and face, and it was very realistic looking- even if it was from charcoal. She shyly handed him the drawing. He looked at her a bit shocked.  
"….for me?"  
She nodded with a blush,

"….it is of you after all."

He blushed as well.

Over the course of two weeks, Chika considered Mia a friend…and a crush. At first, he refused to acknowledge any feelings beyond friendship- but after those two weeks, he knew he couldn't deny it. Unknown to Chika, Mia had similar thoughts. She couldn't deny that she found Chika attractive and luring. She had a crush on him. It was simple as that- the only issue was, _should I speak up and ask him out?_

Though, in the end she decided that she shouldn't. After all, she was the 'bashful type' for a reason. The hosts, however, did notice that there was something between Chika and Mia. Hunny and Mori were the only ones that figured out he liked her (and she liked him). The others hinted that something was going on though- at least, caught up on it slightly.

Mia seemed a bit skittish after club hours. She kept going to her bag, opening it, and then closing it. Then after another ten minutes, she did it again. Chika watched her curiously.

"Geesh, I don't think she's hiding anything," the twins said sarcastically.  
"What is my precious daughter hiding," Tamaki cried. Mia winced and then there was a noise from the bag. She squeaked, grabbed the bag and left. Chika followed her all the way to the garden- where she sat down and held her bag in her lap as she opened it. A small black head poked itself from the bag,

"_Meow."_

Chika blinked. Mia carefully took the kitten out of the bag and Chika noticed its paw was carefully wrapped in a bandage.

"Mia-chan?"  
She looked up in shock.  
"What did you say," she whispered.

Chika blushed and Mia smiled,  
"I don't mind if you call me that, Chika-kun."  
He smiled and sat down next to her. An idea popped into Mia's head.  
"Chika-kun….can you take care of the kitten please?"  
He looked at her shocked. Her eyes widened, _did I say something wrong? _

"Please…I can't take her back where I am- I'll get in trouble. She's hurt though and can't be left alone…I'll stop by every day…please."

That was the most Mia's ever spoken- _ever. _Chika blinked and slowly nodded- and in a split second, he had a small black kitten in his hands. Mia smiled,

"Thank you Chika."

Ritsu smiled slightly when he saw Mia talking with Hunny's younger brother. Ritsu thought his name was Chika or something like that, but he wasn't sure. Either way, it was a sweet moment when he saw Mia hand Chika the kitten. As soon as Chika left with the kitten, Ritsu came up. Mia smiled,  
"Hello, Ritsu," she greeted softly.

He smiled slightly and sat down beside her.

"_Sister,_" he greeted with a smile, "I saw you with…Chika, I think?"  
Mia blushed,  
"We weren't doing anything wrong," she muttered.

Ritsu laughed. He ruffled her hair,  
"I liked that drawing…maybe you could do me a favor?"

She looked at him curiously. He coughed nervously,  
"Do you think you could draw me and…my friends?"

She raised an eyebrow,

"The mob?"  
He nodded with a flushed face. She smiled,  
"I...suppose I could."

He smiled,

"I could pay you."

Mia blushed,

"…you don't have to do that…."

Ritsu put a hand on her shoulder,

"But I will…."

"Thanks," she said meekly, "I…I don't get much allowance at the orphanage…"

He looked at her shocked and Mia, realizing what she said, looked away. Ritsu blinked, _she's an orphan…._He smiled,  
"It is alright."  
Mia smiled faintly.


	5. Mendo the problem

**Chapter 4- Mendo the problem**

**Mia:**

I smiled as I headed towards the orphanage. I couldn't call it home- it didn't feel like home. Yet, it was still alright to me. After all, those two cute girls more than made up for it. Honestly, if I was just a bit older I may of looked to them as daughters. I was still fifteen though and therefore- I was alright with just calling them my little sisters whom I cared for.

The more I thought about it, the more I thought about the host club and Ritsu. I cared for them too- as brothers. Chika…I wasn't sure. I think it was a crush, but I have never really had a crush before. I was too shy to have a crush. I supposed the club really has brought me out of my shell- if ever so slightly. I think that was what I got for being with the host club for a while now (I lost count after a month).

They all knew I was an orphan and with Haruhi and Kyoya's help, they didn't think of me any differently. I still had my doubts from the sorrow glances I got every now and then. However, Kyoya was happy- my sob story got a lot of more clients. I think the only person who was the most unaffected by my story…was Ritsu.

Ritsu still thought of me as a sister. He was really over protective. He walked me to the orphanage (on most days) after school and the host club. He walked me to school. He was really protective…just like an older brother. He told me that I was like his little sister and I think that was a pretty happy moment. Though, he insisted that I sketch more often and show it off. He said I had a natural talent and shouldn't put to waste. Honestly, I didn't see it.

Chi and Ami tackled me into a hug. I chuckled,  
"Hey there," I ruffled their hair.

"Mia!"  
I chuckled again. Tsuki popped her head into the room and had a smile,  
"Mia there's someone here to see you."  
I looked at her confused. She chuckled,  
"He's cute," she winked.

I blushed at what she was implying and quickly made my way downstairs to meet whoever was visiting me. I half expected it to be Chika…instead it was Hunny and Takashi. Hunny tackled me into a hug,  
"Mia-Chan! Are you ready to go?"  
Tsuki looked at me for an answer. I shied away,  
"I….I go to their house…after school…"

She put a hand on her hip sternly. I blushed,  
"No," I protested meekly, "I…I am helping taking care of a hurt kitten…"  
"Is that what you've been doing for the past few weeks?"

I nodded with a blush. She smiled,  
"Alright, have fun."

I blew a small strand of my bangs out of my eyes and looked at Hunny shyly. He smiled,  
"Come on Mia-chan!"

**Third Person:**

Hunny's mother smiled as she met the shy young girl named Mia. She had heard plenty about the young girl (from Hunny, Takashi and even Chika occasionally). She was happy to put a face to the name. Mia was so shy, it was adorable. Hunny's mother couldn't help but be curious and teasing- _from the way my little Chika keeps glancing at her…I can't help but wonder…_

Chika was quick to take her to the room where the kitten was. She smiled slightly as she petted the soft black fur.

"…have you named it yet," Mia asked softly. Chika shook his head,

"Naming it didn't seem important- it's not like we're going to keep it."

Before he could realize his mistake, he was faced with a sad Mia- whose big golden eyes shined with tears. She pouted, _but the poor thing will be all alone….not to mention that was a bit rude._ She scowled slightly. Chika gulped as Mia glared at him- her sorrow quickly turned to a mix of sadness and madness.

"You can't put that poor thing on the streets," she said sternly, "she'll starve or even die!"

Chika glared,  
"I highly doubt that putting it on the streets will kill it!"  
"Then you obviously don't know what it's like to be abandoned."

She continued to glare at him and then her eyes glazed over slightly as silent tears ran down her face. She put down the kitten, holding back a cry, she turned to Chika,  
"I'll come back when you get a heart!"

Hunny and Mori had seen the scene unfold before them. Chika and Mia had a small fight. Nothing too large, but big enough that Mia had left to the garden in tears. Mori nodded to Hunny and Hunny got the message,

"You go talk to Mia-chan and I'll talk with Chika-kun."

Mori nodded and made his way to the garden. He was quick to find Mia with her head in her hands and shoulders shaking. She was crying rather hard. She couldn't help it. She hated yelling or anything of the sort. She hated fighting with someone who was a friend. She hated that her maybe-crush seemed a bit careless and heartless. She hated that….she related to the kitten. She felt a hand on her shoulder and looked to see Mori.

"Takashi-kun," she whispered.

Mori was a bit shocked that she said his real name, yet he didn't show it. Mia had been learning to call him by his real name more often (she had learned Mori was a nickname and shortened version of his last name. She found it a bit rude and therefore called him by his real first name). He sat down beside her. She sniffled,  
"Why am I so timid," she whispered.

That question was more to herself than to Mori- and he knew that. She knew the answer as well. She always was so shy and timid- it was her nature. Her abusive parents had left her with psychological trauma. When she was with them, she didn't speak unless spoken too. She couldn't speak too loudly. It stuck with her even after they threw her onto the streets.

"Why did you fight," Mori asked.

Mia gulped and sniffled,  
"I…I don't like that he can be so heartless…that poor kitten, Takashi-kun….probably abandoned by ones that were supposed to love it…and it was broken….like me," she whispered, "….I just want to do something good for that kitten…like take care of it….like no body ever did for me….is that so wrong?"

"Hmmm."

"And I love animals," Mia whispered with a soft smile, "….And I don't hate Chika….but I can't see why Chika-kun would hate that poor kitten…"  
"I don't hate it, Mia-chan."

Mia turned to see Chika standing there- his own eyes were a bit red from crying. Hunny stood by with a soft smile and he whispered to Chika,  
"I told you she didn't hate you."

Chika ran to Mia and gave her a big hug.

"I'm sorry…I don't hate that kitten and I love animals! Really!"

Mia smiled softly,  
"It's alright…."

Hunny giggled,

"I think this is the most you've talked Mia-chan!"

Mia blushed.

"So, what are you going to name the kitten," Hunny asked cutely.  
"Mendo," Mia whispered, "it means care…and it means trouble. She may cause us trouble, but in the end, we do care about her…and each other."

"THAT'S SO KAWAII MIA-CHAN," Hunny cheered as he hugged the blushing Mia.


	6. Flashbacks

**Chapter 5- Flashbacks:**

**Mia:  
**One month after Chika and I had our fight- I think I still had a crush on him. He seemed a bit cold sometimes, but he just hid it. It was cute. _Gah, stop thinking like that._ He doesn't feel the same. He can't feel the same. No one can like me- I'm too…_different._ I'm shy. I'm tall. I'm _developed._ I'm _fifteen._ I'm bashful. I'm not that social or talkative. I can never have a chance with Chika- or anyone for that matter.

The host club was…different. I got used to Tamaki calling me daughter- for the most part anyway. Kyoya was…not as creepy. I think I was finally warming up to him. Hunny was an adorable little brother- though technically he was a big brother. Takashi (I felt a bit odd to say Mori) was like a big brother. In fact, they were all like big brothers. Haruhi was like a big sister. Though I doubted that they felt the same.

"You alright Mia-chan," Haruhi asked concerned. I smiled faintly and nodded.

Tamaki insisted that 'his two precious daughters spend time together.' Hence why Haruhi and I were having a sleepover at her house. We would've done it at my house but to do that I would first have to have a house. Orphanages aren't exactly the best place for sleepovers. Haruhi was wearing a night gown (forced onto her by her father- who was actually pretty nice and he was fond of me) and I was wearing simple sweats and a tank top. Though Haruhi's father had tried (and failed) to get me into a nightgown. Luckily for Haruhi and I, her father had to work so we were home alone.

"I never really had a sleepover before," Haruhi confessed and I put a hand on her shoulder,  
"Same here…."

Haruhi smiled slightly. I blushed,  
"What do we do now," I asked quietly.

Haruhi shrugged,

"I guess we can watch a scary movie…._Jeepers Creepers? _I heard that was supposed to be good._"_

_ Haven't heard of that one._ I shrugged.

**Third Person:**

The twins looked through the window with large devilish grins- they were _not_ going to miss an opportunity to mess with their favorite new toys. No one had figured don't their plans. They weren't spying on the girls- they were just going to play a very _big_ _mean_ prank on them. It didn't help that the girls had just finished watching _Jeepers Creepers._

Mia and Haruhi were both staring at the screen with frozen faces. Mia whimpered and was currently burrowed into Haruhi's shoulder. At the same time, she had the blanket wrapped around her- _if I can't see the monsters, the monsters can't see me. _

"Haruhi," Mia whispered as she looked at out the windows, "….can you please shut the blinds?"

Haruhi gulped and then nodded. A bit shaken, she closed the blinds- but not before both her and Mia spotted the scarecrow. The window wasn't the one that faced towards the front of the apartment. This was the window towards the back (in Haruhi's room) that faced the small park area behind her building. However, there was a scarecrow in the middle of the park, looking up at them. Mia squeeked and hid behind Haruhi. Haruhi, taking what courage she had, quickly closed the curtains- making it so they couldn't see out of it.  
"Is it still there," Mia whispered.

Haruhi peaked out the window- she didn't believe in ghosts, but what was happening was a bit creepy. Haruhi's eyes widened. Mia peaked around Haruhi and then quickly hid again,

"It moved," Mia whimpered. Haruhi shook her head and closed the curtains again. Haruhi's face crinkled in concentration- _how did it move? Someone has to be playing a trick on us._ She looked to Mia- who was shivering from fear. _What a mean prank._ Haruhi heard her front door creak and Mia followed her as they went to the front door.

"Dad," Haruhi called out- _no one's here._

There was footsteps behind them and they turned- _where are they hiding? _

"Whose there," Haruhi asked. There was no answer. Mia's lip was quivering and she clung to Haruhi. She jumped as the lights went out. She closed her eyes tightly. Haruhi looked at Mia a bit concerned.

"There's nothing to be scared of…it's just the dark," Haruhi pointed out. Mia's eyes were shut tightly as she remembered.

"_There's nothing to be scared of," her mother's voice said to her, "it's just the dark."_

_ Twelve-year-old Mia was hiding deep in the closet- she was scared. Her father had gone downstairs to check what the noise was. Her mother had already called the cops._

_"I'm going to check on him, okay? We'll both be right back," her mother kissed her forehead, "I promise. Stay safe.."_

_ Mia watched her mother shut the closet door- enclosed in the darkness. They never came back. _

"Are you alright," Haruhi asked concerned- but Mia didn't respond. She was unaware of the world around her as memories came flooding back.

_"Are you alright," a cop said as he opened the closet door and held out a hand. They had just found her parent's bodies- downstairs. The noise was crooks- thieves- trying to steal from them. But they were now just murderers. Monsters in Mia's eyes.  
"They said they would come back," Mia whimpered, "…it's so dark…."_

_ The cop winced and she hesitantly held his hand. She was crying now. _

_"…she doesn't know," he whispered. He was strong and picked her up. He carried her down the stairs and held her head to his chest in safety. Yet she still saw. She still saw her parents' bodies- dead- on the floor by the backdoor. _

The twins noticed something was wrong with Mia.

"Is she alright?"

Haruhi jumped,  
"What are you doing? Are you the ones behind this?"

The twins looked guilty,  
"….we were just pranking you, we didn't know that she would react like this-"

"-We just thought… 'let's have some fun.'"

_"Let's have some fun,"_ _Mia's first adoptive father said. He had a devilish grin on his face and a whip in one hand. She whimpered and he slapped her._

_"Don't make any noise!"_

_ The one thing going through her mind was- 'if he only abuses me, why did he adopt me?' Later, she found out that he had to adopt some kid to keep these guys off his case. Yet, it didn't last long. A fourteen-year-old Mia was put back into the orphanage by child services. She never got adopted again. _

Finally, the twins and Haruhi were able to get through to her. Mia opened her eyes and saw the blurry forms of Haruhi and the twins. She sniffled. Haruhi hugged her,

"Are you alright?"  
Mia whimpered slightly. The twins' faces were sad and they hugged Mia,  
"We're sorry….we didn't mean to scare you so bad…we just wanted to have some fun."  
Mia winced. Haruhi looked at her and Mia noticed Haruhi was slightly crying.  
"We've been trying to get to you for the past half hour…what happened?"  
Mia gulped,  
"….flashbacks," she whispered. The twins winced and Haruhi looked at her sadly.


	7. Embarrassing Question

**Author Note: Ane (on-A) is sister in Japanese. If pronounced like ane (on-E), it's brother in Japanese. One word, two pronunciations, two meanings, both for siblings.**

**~CWA **

**Chapter 6- Embarrassing Question:**

**Third Person:**

"She's getting pretty popular," Kyoya remarked and it was true. Mia was getting more popular with the hosts. Kyoya was happy since her presence had raised sales- which was always a good thing. Currently, however, the hosting hours had just finished. Mia looked up and yawned cutely.

"You are so cute," Tamaki squealed as he hugged her tightly. Mia gasped for air and eventually, he put her down. She yawned again and stretched. She sleepily handed over a piece of paper to Kyoya. He raised an eyebrow.

"Did you draw this?"

Mia nodded. The rest of the hosts gathered around.  
"OH MY PRECIOUS DAUGHTER THAT IS SO GOOD!"  
"Senpai," Haruhi said, "Stop choking her."  
Tamaki let her go and retreated to his corner. The twins gave a thumbs up. Hunny cheered and Mori did his usual 'hmm' but Mia spotted a small smile on him. She blushed,  
"It's….it's just something to say thanks…"

Mia had been working on that drawing for quite some time. It was expertly done. It showed Tamaki in the corner, with mushrooms on him and small gray clouds. Haruhi stood by with an annoyed expression on her face as the twins had their arms wrapped around her with smug looks. Takashi was on the other side of the room with a small smile on his face and Hunny was on his shoulder holding Usa-chan. Kyoya overlooked them all, pushing up his glasses with on hand and holding his notebook/clip board with the other. In the drawing, Mia was in the background blushing.

Tamaki pouted,  
"Mia, you're in the background!"

She blushed,  
"….most comfortable there."  
Tamaki squealed again,  
"OH MY DAUGHTER YOU ARE SO ADORABLE!"

After the club, Mia quickly headed to walk with Ritsu. They had plans to go to the park.  
"Mind if I join you," Haruhi asked as she walked beside Mia. Mia shyly nodded,

"It's…fine with me."

Haruhi smiled. The shy girl was like a sister to Haruhi in some ways after all. Besides, she did want to speak with Ritsu. Sure enough, Ritsu did show up. He was a bit surprised that Haruhi was there- but he didn't complain. Mia looked between the two of them sheepishly,  
"It's okay…isn't it?"

Ritsu nodded and they all left to the park. Ritsu couldn't but smile at Mia. Haruhi watched the both of them closely. Tamaki had told her to keep an eye on Mia- but she wasn't doing this for him. She was genuinely curious if Ritsu did care about her like a sister. Mia stood on her tippy-toes and still couldn't reach the pretty red rose. It was high up on the bush and even at her height- she couldn't reach it. Mia wanted that rose- it was perfect. Ritsu snuck up behind her and swept her up- putting her on his shoulder. She blushed but got the flower. Then Ritsu smirked and started to tickle her sides.

"Hahaha," Mia laughed loudly, "Please! Hahahaha! Stop!"

Even Haruhi couldn't help but smile at the sibling-like connection. Ritsu finally stopped and the flower, thankfully, was okay. Mia walked up to Haruhi and placed the flower in Haruhi's hair. Haruhi blinked. Mia blushed,  
"For you_, ane."_

Haruhi smiled,  
"Thanks_….ane."_

**Haruhi:  
**After the park, we headed to the bakery shop. Mia's eyes lit up at the sight of sweets. I didn't know she liked sweets so much, but I shouldn't be surprised. She dragged me and Ritsu with her into the shop. I was a bit taken back by the boldness of the action- she usually didn't do things like that. Afterwards, she seemed a bit surprised herself and shyly looked away. She was adorable, even as cute as Hunny-senpai. She really was like a little sister to me. She was the only other sane one in the club, that's for sure. My father adored her as well- as she spent the night frequently. I have half the mind that he's honestly considering adopting her. Not that I would mind though.

Mia licked her lips.  
"Which one do you want," the baker asked. Mia pointed to a small strawberry cake and a slice of blueberry. She paid and we went to a table. We split the small strawberry cake and Ritsu ate the blueberry one. She licked her lips.  
"Thanks, Mia-chan," I said as I bowed my head slightly. She smiled and nodded. Ritsu said his thanks as well.

I found that Ritsu did treat her like a sister- so I didn't have to worry about the little girl anymore. Little wasn't the right term…she was a bit taller than me and _more developed._ But she was still a bit younger than I was.

After the stop at the bakery, we headed back to the park. Mia swung on the swings. She looked so innocent at times, but I noticed her eyes. Her eyes showed pain and sadness. A past that was best not to be remembered. I knew everyone thought I was a bit clueless- and sometimes I was. But not to things like that. She looked like a young kid though- so happy on the swings. I stood by Ritsu as we both watched her.

"She's like a little kid sometimes," I whispered. Ritsu nodded.

"She is….sometimes I wonder if I should talk to Father about adopting her."  
I looked at him shocked. He blushed slightly,

"….But I know the mob-life isn't for her…What about you?"  
I shifted,  
"Honestly, I have thought about it- talking to Dad about adopting her…and I think he will. We talked and he thought we should- it's another mouth to feed, but we'll make it. Besides, he loves her to death."  
"Then why haven't you," he glared slightly and I shrugged,

"Because we want to be a surprise, don't tell her."  
Ritsu nodded and Mia returned from the swings. She looked at us curiously,  
"What are you two talking about," she asked quietly. I smiled,  
"It's fine, Mia-chan."  
She blushed slightly and then nodded.

"M'kay…..Can I ask you guys something?"

"Of course, Mia-chan," we both said in union. Mia blushed,  
"….it's about boys."

Ritsu blushed hard.  
"How…how can I get one to like me," she asked shyly.

I smiled slightly,

"Is this about Chika-kun?"

Her face turned red and nodded slightly. I chuckled,  
"Mia-chan, you need to be yourself, okay? He needs to like you, for you…and I am sure he likes you back."

Mia nodded eagerly and then hugged me tightly.  
"Thanks, Haruhi-senpai."  
"We're both first years…I've told you before, just call me Haruhi."  
Mia smiled. Ritsu looked uncomfortable in all the girl-talk. I have never been good at love-advice, but I knew Chika-kun liked her back. It was obvious.

**Third Person:**

Chika hesitantly went up to his brother and Takashi after they had practiced in the dojo.  
"I have a rather embarrassing question to ask," Chika whispered.  
Hunny and Takashi shared a look.

"What is it Chika-kun?"  
"…..How can I get a girl?"


	8. Operation Get Together

**Chapter 7- Operation Get Together:**

**Third Person:**

"That's it," Tamaki declared dramatically, "We must get them together!"

Haruhi sighed,  
"Senpai, I don't think that's a good idea. They should do it themselves."

Kyoya pushed up his glasses,

"I can't help but agree- them together could lower sells on Mia."

Haruhi scowled,  
"That's not what I meant."

"But they're so cute together," Hunny cried, "And Chika-kun is so happy when he's with her!"

"That settles it," Tamaki said determined, "Operation Get Together is a go!"

Haruhi sighed,_ idiots- Mia-chan and Chika-kun can do it themselves._

Mia and Chika were in the park watching the ducks in the pond. Mia fed them some of the bread crumbs. Mia was the only one that got to see the soft side of Chika and Chika was the only one that saw the more happy side of Mia. Mia giggled as one duckling went up and landed on Chika's head. He looked at her sheepishly. She carefully picked up the small duckling and put it back with its momma.

Chika watched Mia as she fed the ducks._ Does she even know how cute she is? _Mia turned and saw Chika staring at her. She blushed and looked away. _Does he even know how cute he is?_ Mia then looked at Chika a second time- her nose crinkled in concentration. Then she took off his glasses.  
"Wa-hey!"

Mia giggled and put on the glasses.

"I need those," Chika protested. She giggled,  
"No you don't, silly," she giggled, "these things don't have real lens!"  
"But…I need them," Chika protested weakly. It was then that Mia noticed just how alike Chika and Hunny looked. It clicked.

"You don't want to look like your brother," she accused and Chika nodded,  
"…You don't understand what it's like to be in his shadow."  
_He's four feet tall, there's not much shadow to stand in,_ Mia thought dryly, but she nodded,  
"…I know, Chika-kun but…these will hurt your eyes if you don't need them."

Chika sighed,  
"….Fine."

From their hiding places, Haruhi smiled,

"I told you they will be fine on their own senpai."

Tamaki shook his head,  
"Nonsense! They need more of a push!"

Hunny looked to Takashi,  
"Does Chika-kun really think like that Takashi?'

Takashi nodded,  
"Hm."

Hunny bit his lip. He needed to have a talk with his brother in the future- but right now, his mind was set on getting him together with Mia-chan.

Chika and Mia continued on. Chika didn't wear his glasses; instead he kept them in his pocket. Mia threatened to break them if she saw him wearing them. Therefore, he didn't really have a choice. Chika looked to Mia- who was smiling brightly. _Is this a date? Does she think of it as a date? Should it be a date? Do I even want to it to be a date? _Chika smiled, _yes I do actually. Mia's different. She's strong, but so…cute…sensitive…she needs protecting. I want to protect her._

Mia went to the ice cream stand,

"Two please," Mia asked cutely. The guy shook his head,  
"Only one left."  
"That's okay," Chika said, stepping forward. The guy nodded and handed over the ice cream cone. Chika handed it to Mia.  
"Here, you have it."  
Mia had wide eyes,

"Is that okay? Do you want to share?"  
At the thought of licking the same cone- sharing an indirect kiss, Chika blushed,  
"I'm okay. You have it."

Mia smiled,  
"Thanks Chika-kun."

She happily licked at the ice cream until she ended up getting some on her cheek. Chika gulped and then took a deep breathe- recalling his brother's advice. He didn't want to do it- well, he did but he didn't want to scare her. It wasn't as extreme as kissing anyway. He held her chin and carefully licked the ice cream off her cheek. Her face turned bright red.

Haruhi smirked,

"Still think they need help, senpai?"  
"She has a point, boss," the twins said, "he seems to be doing fine on his own."  
"No," Tamaki protested, "it's not enough! What we see is harmless flirting- but it is not commitment! Go to Phase Two!"  
"Phase two," Haruhi asked confused. Hunny and Mori shrugged- they didn't know either. However, the twins knew it and got to work.

"Do you ever feel like you're being watched," Mia whispered to Chika. She began feeling uneasy and scared. She could feel someone's eyes on her everywhere they went, and it wasn't Chika.

The thought of someone watching them made her uncomfortable. Chika narrowed his eyes, _if it's my idiotic brother and that host club, I'm going to hurt them. This was all going perfect._ Mia shivered and Chika sighed. Then she spotted the orphanage,

"That's where I live," she softly pointed out. Chika looked at her shocked- he kept forgetting that Mia was an orphan. She was so lovable- it was hard to believe that no one adopted her yet.

"…Mia-chan, what happened to your parents?"

Mia looked down, recalling everything in a second. Her breathing quickened. Chika's eyes widened,  
"You don't have to tell me," he quickly said.

"It's…okay," Mia said slowly and they sat down on a bench. Mia felt that she could easily trust Chika- and she didn't want to keep her past a secret.  
"I was little," Mia whispered, "…Twelve years old…they were murdered. Dad went to check out some noises that were coming from downstairs. I thought it was an animal…but then Mom took me into the closet. We both hid there while there was noise…but then there was nothing. Mom went to check- leaving me behind.."

Mia sniffled,  
"….I saw them," silent tears went down her face, "I saw their dead bodies when I was leaving. The cops had come and one was holding me- leading me down the stairs and he tried to hide it from me but I saw….I saw them…the blood," she cried, "Then….I was adopted later by this guy….but it turned out he was a molester," she spat the word out like venom, "and….I was back in the orphanage when I was fourteen and been there ever since."  
Chika surprised her by hugging her tightly. She didn't see the tears in his eyes,  
"Mia…it's okay….it's okay, you'll be okay…"  
Mia sniffled and hugged him back,

"Thanks, Chika-kun…"

In the bushes, the hosts were crying too- even Kyoya seemed a bit taken back. Hunny sniffled,  
"Poor Mia-chan."  
****

Mia and Chika were back at the park- a shortcut from the mall back to the orphanage where Chika was going to drop her off. However, Mia still had the feeling that someone was watching them. Chika had the feeling too. At the moment, Mia was walking ahead of Chika with a smile,  
"Come on slow-poke!"

He sighed- he hated to admit it but he was getting tired. It was getting late and all the running around was tiring. He couldn't help but smile at Mia. She was worth it. He started to catch up with her, but there was two problems. One- someone had placed a bag in the middle of his path. Two- he didn't know about the twins. He tripped on the bag and the twins put the rest of the plan together. One pushed Mia forward slightly and the other pushed Chika towards Mia. They did it fast and no one saw them. The result, however….was a kiss.

Chika fell onto Mia and accidentally kissed her. Mia's eyes were wide and her face was red- as was Chika.

"OPERATION GET TOGETHER IS A SUCCESS!"


	9. A Misunderstading

**Chapter 8- A Misunderstanding:**

**Mia:**

I carefully avoided both the Host Club and Chika the next week. I wasn't able to face either of them. I was too embarrassed to see Chika after the accident kiss set up by the twins- I knew it was from the twins after Tamaki revealed himself. I just couldn't face any of them though- I was just too embarrassed. I was scared too. What if Chika didn't want to be my friend anymore because of what happened? What if he hated me? To think, I thought that maybe he would be here for my birthday. Though, I shouldn't expect him to remember my birthday was today. Especially since I didn't acknowledge his- which was a few days ago.

I sniffled and headed to Haruhi's house. When she opened the door, she seemed surprise to see me.  
"Mia-chan?"  
I tackled her in a hug and tears.  
"What's wrong?"  
I sniffled,  
"Haruhi-chan….do you think Chika-kun hates me now?"  
She looked at me with wide eyes,  
"What makes you say that?"  
"Because….what if he hated that he kissed me by accident?"  
She smiled faintly,  
"Mia-chan, I think he liked it more than you know."  
I blushed,  
"Really?"  
She nodded and then I was tackled in a hug by Haruhi's father,  
"Oh it's so good to see you again! You are just so adorable I could eat you up!"  
"Nice…to…see…you…too… Fujioka-san," I gasped out.  
"Just call me Ranka dear," he insisted. I blushed slightly.

**Third Person:  
**An hour after Mia left, Ranka dragged Haruhi out the door with him,  
"Come on, we have work to do!"  
"Dad, where are we going?"  
Ranka made a dramatic pose,  
"We are headed to the orphanage to go adopt Mia!"

"Just where is my precious daughter," Tamaki cried. Kyoya pushed up his glasses;  
"Haruhi had asked for a day off as to take care of some matters with her father. It is added to her debt of course."

Chika continued to bang his head on the table, frustrated with himself. However, he was madder at the host club. Hunny walked over,  
"Are you okay?"

Chika glared,  
"This is your fault."

Hunny looked at Chika a bit shocked. He didn't have the chance to talk to Chika about what he overheard yet- things were still tense between the two brothers. Still, Chika never looked at Hunny with that much hate before. Mori looked slightly confused.

"I hate you," Chika mumbled.

Hunny's face dropped as Chika continued,

"I hate all of you," he growled.

He meant it. He meant every word. He was angry at each and every one of them. It was their fault that he kissed Mia and scared her away. It was their fault that Mia has been avoiding him. It was their fault that Mia more than likely hated him now. So, he hated them. He will hate them- forever. Because it was their entire fault. Things were going fine. Chika was doing great. He actually thought that Mia may like him that she may date him…then his idiotic older brother and that reckless club had to intervene.

"Chika-kun," Hunny whispered- the words hurt him more than Chika knew.

"I hate you all," Chika growled more loudly, "It's all your fault that she hates me!"

Chika grabbed the glasses from inside his pocket. He had followed Mia's wishes to not wear them. Yet now, after a week of her avoiding him, he didn't see the point of it anymore. He put the glasses on, glared at the host club, his older cousin, and his older brother, and then left.

Mia came into the host club shyly. Tamaki spotted her first,  
"MY DAUGHTER!"

Mia gasped for air and her face was pink as Tamaki hugged her tightly until the twins managed to get him off of her.

"Where have you been," they asked. Mia gulped and shifted her feet. She noticed Hunny and Mori in the corner- looking sad. Curious, she walked over.  
"Hunny-senpai…what's wrong," she asked quietly. He cried,  
"WAA! Chika hates me!"  
He hung onto her as he cried.

"I…I'm sure that's not true," Mia tried to comfort him. Kyoya pushed up his glasses,

"Actually, Yusachika did state that he hated Mitsukuni along with the rest of the host club."  
Mia's eyes widened,

"…Why?"

"Chika thinks you hate him," Hunny sniffled, "and it's all our fault! Please don't hate him, Mia-chan!"

Mia blushed and she stuttered,  
"I-I don't hate Chika-kun," she shyly admitted, "….I thought all of you hated me."

Hunny giggled and hugged her rightly,  
"We could never hate you Mia-chan! You're too cute!"

Mori ruffled Mia's hair,

"Hm."

"I…I better find Chika-kun," she softly stated as she left.

Chika sat down in the garden- a frown on his face. He wiped at his eyes, _no, I can't cry. Why do I care so much? And why do I feel like I'm forgetting something? _Ritsu saw Chika and looked at him confused. He went over carefully. Chika looked up and saw Ritsu- He knew Ritsu was harmless, practically, since he knew that Ritsu spent a lot of time with Mia. Chika knew Mia wouldn't hang out with mean guys.

"What do you want," Chika spat out bitterly. Ritsu raised an eyebrow,

"I thought that you would be with Mia."  
"Why," Chika growled, _after all she hates me._

"Well, it is her birthday…."

Chika's eyes widened and he stood up. Ritsu grabbed Chika by the collar and scowled,  
"You need to apologize to her as well."  
Chika shoved himself out of Ritsu's grasp,  
"Why should I," he snapped.  
"She thinks you hate her," Ritsu growled. Chika blinked,  
"What?"

"She thinks you hate her," Ritsu repeated. Chika's eyes widened,

"What? But-I-I don't hate her! I thought she hated me!"

Ritsu looked slightly amused,

"Then I suggest you go tell her that."  
Chika ran off in search for Mia with a lightened heart. Ritsu watched amused. He wasn't one to do the love advice, but Mia was like a little sister- hence why he didn't destroy Chika for making Mia sad since he knew Mia had feelings for him.

On the search for Chika, Mia was running. However, while on his search for Mia, Chika was running too. The end result- a crash.

"Oomph," Mia muttered as she fell on her butt. Chika's eyes widened,  
"Mia! I'm sorry! I thought you hated me-"  
"-I thought _you_ hated _me,_" Mia said. Chika continued on, occasionally stuttering and blushing. Mia giggled. He held out a hand for her to take, and she grabbed , instead she did the first bold move she's done in her life. She pulled him down too on top of her and kissed his cheek,  
"It's okay Chika-kun."  
Chika's face turned pink,  
"I…I…okay."  
She giggled and Chika looked at her sheepishly. He kissed her softly,

"Mia, I wanted to ask…would you…like to be my girlfriend?"

Mia giggled,

"Okay."

Chika smiled widely. Mia giggled and then noticed he was wearing the glasses. She pouted and took them of off him,  
"What did I tell you about the glasses?"  
"…To stop wearing them?"  
"Exactly."

Ranka shook hands with Tsuki.

"I'm so happy she finally gets a good family," Tsuki gushed.

"Oh I know,' Ranka laughed, "but honestly- she's a good addition to the family! And she can be a little sister to my Haruhi!"

Haruhi smiled,  
"I'd like that…"

Tsuki smiled,  
"Thank you," she bowed, "For your adoption of Mia Carter…If you wait a moment, I am sure she'll be back here in a moment."  
It was then that Mia walked through the door.


	10. Epilogue

**Epilogue:**

**Mia:  
**I blew the blonde hair out of my eyes. Chika stood at the door in shock. Ranka fussed over him, telling him that he better not hurt his 'precious little bunny.' That was my nickname. Ranka started to call me 'Little Bunny,' since apparently I was adorable and easily frightened. I didn't mind. After a few years of living with him, I got used to it. Haruhi, thankfully, didn't call me any nicknames besides 'sister.' She was in her last year of high school now though- I was a year behind her. I could've skipped a grade again but…Chika was a grade behind me even if we were the same age. So I stayed back.

After three years of dating Chika, he had never met Ranka until now.  
"Thank you, Fujiko-san," he bowed. Ranka smiled,

"Just call me Ranka dear! That's my professional name at the transvestite bar I work at!"

Chika paled. I giggled. I gave Ranka a hug and then I headed out with Chika for our date. We held hands and stood next each other. He was now taller than me though- by a few inches.  
"Hey Mia-chan," I heard.

I turned to see Hunny. I waved shyly. He giggled and ruffled my hair.

"Have fun!"

With that, he left. I was starting to see Hunny as a big brother in a way. After all, I did spend a lot of time with Chika- and by lesser extent Hunny, Mori and Mori's younger brother. I did spend time with the host club as well. They were like a second family.

Chika kissed my forehead,

"Are you okay?"  
"I'm fine," I smiled.

After our date, we went to Chika's house- again. I was met with a cute little meow and I smiled. I picked up Mendo and pet her fur. Chika stood right beside me and he gave Mendo some love too. Mendo was officially my cat, but stayed with Chika. In a way, Mendo was _our_ cat. I loved saying that- _our, we, us._ I never really had a boyfriend before and…I really felt like Chika was more than just a normal boyfriend. I felt like he would always be there for me, protect me, and hold me. I felt like…_I love him._

But neither of us had ever said those words. I didn't know if he felt the same or not. We were both shy when it came to that- and anything beyond kissing.

Chika and I were on our usual date- which meant we were walking through the park. This time, we were doing it at night though. Chika said that he had a surprise for me. I wondered if for once that he actually remembered our anniversary (four years now). We were both in our last year of high school and we were both finally eighteen.

Chika put a black blindfold around my eyes and I blushed. He stood behind me with his hands on my waist to lead me. Finally, we stopped. He took off the blindfold and I gasped.

"You…remembered."  
He kissed my cheek,

"Of course I remembered."

In front of me was a picnic. The blanket laid on the grass by the pond, on top of it was a small basket and flashlights and two wine glasses. However, they weren't filled with wine- instead it looked like it was filled with grape juice (my favorite). Chika kissed me,  
"You always said you loved watching the stars."

I was surprised and touched that he actually remembered that. We both sat down on the blanket. Chika looked a bit nervous though- why I wasn't sure. We both laid out on the blankets, my head on his chest. I pointed out the different star constellations. I found astronomy an interesting hobby and I was happy to share it with Chika. Then, he surprised me by sitting up. I pouted,  
"What's wrong?"

He stood up, staring at the stars. Finally, he turned to me and got down on one knee with a small box that held a ring,

"Mia Fujiko, I've known you for years and in that time, I realized that I gained a best friend, a girlfriend…and more. Mia, you're the best thing that's happened to me and I want to be with you for the rest of my life…Mia…I love you…will you marry me?"

I felt tears in my eyes. I tackled him,  
"Yes I will marry you!"  
He laughed with a large smile. We both stood there for a moment.

"I love you," I whispered. He kissed me,

"I love you too."

That was the first time we ever said those words and I knew in my heart we both meant them and we would be together for a long, _long_ time.


End file.
